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Geneva - The lack of privacy for women in emergency shelters – managed by men - following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami was cited today as an example of how gender issues can be overlooked in disaster risk management as civil society took centre stage at preparatory talks in Geneva on the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction scheduled for Sendai, Japan, in March 2015.

“Even worse, women told us they feared being sexually molested which did happen in several cases.

When six Italian scientists and an ex-government official were handed six-year prison sentences for manslaughter linked to the 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila that killed 309 people, the legal arguments turned on whether a national risk committee that met just before the disaster had failed to provide public information that could have saved lives.

The prosecution accused the government of downplaying the likelihood of a damaging earthquake, while the defence argued that such events cannot be predicted accurately.

Irrespective of who was right, this case brought international attention to the

Today the European Commission lays out its primary vision on how the European Union should contribute to the global efforts to reduce the impact of disasters.

The Commission has adopted a Communication on The Post 2015 Hyogo Framework for Action: Managing Risks to achieve Resilience. This document is the basis for upcoming discussions between the Member States, the European Parliament and other stakeholders who will work on a common EU position for the global negotiations at the level of the United Nations.

Hailstorms injured at least five people and damaged around 4,300 houses in the northern highlands Monday and 90 others in the Central Highlands Tuesday while a storm destroyed more houses in the south.

Hoang Thai, director of the agriculture department in the northern province of Cao Bang, said the hail hit four districts from 8:30 to 10:15 p.m. .

Some of the ice pellets were the size of a human fists, locals said. .

They said the ice broke through the roofs and damaged the insides of their houses. Thai said the hail was both the most violent and widespread ever in Cao Bang. .